My Urban Sherpa

“A Sealed Fate” tonight ~ AMC Loews 72nd St. & 3rd Ave.

Join Nigel Barker, Mary and Peter Max, and The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International for a screening of “A Sealed Fate” a documentary on the birth of the Harp seals of Canada’s Eastern shore and their imminent deaths weeks later for their fur.
A panel and question-and-answer period to discuss ways we can help end Canada’s cruel seal hunt and speak out for animals killed for their furs.
Tickets are $25 each, all proceeds of which benefit The Humane Society of the United States’ work in celebrating animals and confronting cruelty, thanks to the support of Mary and Peter Max.

Seating begins at 6pm and the 45-minute film rolls promptly at 7pm. A limited amount of tickets may be available at the theater at 6pm, but online ticket purchase is highly encouraged.
November 18, 2008
6:00-9:00 p.m.

AMC Loews Theater
1230 Third Avenue (71st and 72nd Sts)
New York, NY 10021

LEAGUE OF HUMANE VOTERS 7TH ANNIVERSARY

Join the League of Humane Voters of NYC as they celebrate their 7th anniversary at Jivamukti Yoga School, Saturday, November 15th at 8:00PM.

LOHV-NYC will be honoring Senator Frank Padavan, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal and Council Member Peter Vallone, Jr. for all they have done legislatively for animals. LOHV-NYC will also be honoring Edison Properties/Manhattan Mini Storage CEO Steve Nislick for organizing business leaders in the campaign to ban horse-drawn carriages. Celebrity guests include Emmy Award-winner Kristen Johnson and DJ/rapper Princess Superstar.
Tickets/info online at www.humanenyc.org or call 212-889-0303.

What’s Up in this Economy?

Not the Dow but down dog.

Attendance at Yoga studios is the only thing soaring in the current economy, aside from the VIX and the Unemployment rates.

We can recommend no practice more highly than Jivamukti –

Here is a Jivamukti offering tonight, November 10 at 8:30.
SHAKTIPAT MEDITATION AND SATSANG WITH GABRIEL COUSENS, MD
Shaktipat is a transmission of grace that activates the inherent spiritual force, the Shakti Kundalini, when one’s system is ready for it.  An awakened Kundalini is the next evolutionary step of the individual and humanity, and can potentially take one to Liberation.

Satsang, or “Hanging out in the Truth,” follows this meditation, and is spiritual questions and answers.

As a whole, please join this community activation of consciousness and spiritual energy.  it is a way to go deeper personally as well as bring light to every level of your lives.

There will be a short talk on what it means to individually and collectively transition from a culture of death mentality to the consciousness of the Culture of Life and Liberation, and the Sevenfold Path of Creating Peace by Being Peace.

Gabriel Cousens, MD, is the founder of the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center, an Oasis for Awakening in the Patagonia Mountains, AZ.  He is acknowledged as liberated by his two enlightened gurus, Swami Muktananda Paramahansa and Swami Prakashananda.  Gabriel is the author of Creating Peace by Being Peace, Spiritual Nutrition: Six Foundations for Spiritual Life and the Awakening of Kundalini, There Is A Cure For Diabetes, Depression-Free for Life, Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine, and Conscious Eating.  Gabriel has recently developed the Culture of Life Community to support people at the leading edge of consciousness shift and healing the planet.  His work is the founding of projects worldwide that spark spiritual awakening and empowering the fruition of people as our true nature as living sparks of the divine.

New York Wines and Dines

Select New York restaurants share the locavore / ecovore / green approach to dining this week. In Italian this is called cucina della territoria – and it means that you eat what is grown in the region. Around the world, this sanity of enjoying and making the most of what the earth offers by region and season is a practicality of daily life. And here in New York, you’ll find it through the month.

Take advantage of this opportunity to pair fresh local produce with NY’s local wines.

This Banksy never fails

Banksy, the anonymous British street artist, has just opened a little “pet store” at 89 7th Avenue between West 4th and Bleeker Street in the West Village. The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill is actually an astonishing art installation complete with animatronic would-be creatures like fish sticks swimming in a tank and self-dipping chicken nuggets (see photo).

“I wanted to make art that questioned our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming, but it ended up as chicken nuggets singing,” the mysterious Banksy said (in a statement, of course).

The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill will be open to the public daily through Oct. 31.

Kind Green Planet

Kind Green Planet is a NYC-based nonprofit organization dedicated to “educating people about healthy, humane, eco-friendly living. Through grassroots film screenings and workshops, activism and lifestyle coaching, and community programs, we empower people to make personal choices that align with their values of justice, peace, respect for the earth, and compassion for all living beings.”

A fine example of Kind Green Planet’s approach is the “Vegan at Heart” program - to help wanna-be vegans make this crucial lifestyle transition.

(Contact info here)

Vegan & the Limelight

Apropos of the conversation about Proposition 2 on the California Ballot on Election Day is Frank Bruni’s review of Candle 79 – an upscale vegan venue on the Upper East Side.

Given the benefits of a vegan and vegetarian based diet for your health, and the health of the planet – we are thrilled to see this positive review for this sane approach to food.

The benefits of a vegetarian diet are well explored by Andrew Weil in Eating Well for Optimal Health, and Micheal Pollan in the Omnivore’s Dilemma. The challenges for the planet created by the production of meat for consumption were well reported by Mark Bittman in The New York Times.

And if you’d like to try other wonderful vegan and vegetarian restaurants in New York – we hope you’ll visit MyUrbanSherpa.net from your computer, or MyUrbanSherpa.mobi from your handheld.

Proposition 2

Dear Friends,

Today, on the “Oprah” show, I’ll be making the case to millions of people across the country in support of a campaign that, if successful, will end the cruel confinement of 20 million farm animals.

It’s called Proposition 2, a measure on the ballot in California that The New York Times endorsed last week. Prop 2 will end the practice of cramming farm animals into cages and crates so small the animals can’t even turn around, lie down, or extend their limbs. If passed, it will be the biggest victory for farm animals in U.S. history.

Prop 2 is truly a national campaign: While only Californians get to vote on it, its passage will lead to reforms in farming practices nationwide.

But standing in the way is Big Agribusiness, which has poured millions of dollars into a deceptive campaign to defeat Prop 2 and preserve factory farms’ cruel confinement practices. The next 21 days before the election will be pivotal — and we can’t win without you. Here’s the latest news, and a few ways you can help:

Tuesday, October 14, I’ll be going head-to-head with the front men of the agribusiness industry in defense of the 20 million farm animals in California who don’t have room to turn around or stretch their limbs. Click here to find out when the show will air where you live.

Here’s a snippet: “The fact that such fundamental decencies have to be forced upon factory farming says a lot about its horrors. We urge California voters to pass Proposition 2. We urge every state to enact similar laws.” Click here to read the full editorial on my blog.

Here are two ways you can help pass this historic measure right now:

1. Support the YES! on Prop 2 campaign by visiting the campaign website and learning about the many ways you can help.

2. If you haven’t already, watch our animated video and pass it along to friends and family in California.

YES! on Prop 2 is a true grassroots campaign, funded by thousands of small donations from animal lovers like you. By contrast, the deceptive No on Prop 2 campaign is bankrolled by a handful of rich agribusiness corporations from across the nation — with an average donation of more than $40,000.

The factory farm industry is blinded by the bottom line. No matter how much they dump into defeating this measure, they can’t stamp out the truth: Prop 2’s commonsense reforms are long overdue.

Thank you for being a part of this campaign. On November 4, millions of animals will be thanking you, too.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States

My Urban Sherpa is proud to support The Humane Society of the United States in this most worthwhile fight.

Soulful spinning, social sipping, and Strawberry serenity

Who knew that Manhattan’s Upper West Side could offer rejuvenation and respite? Start your day at Soul Cycle where they promise: “45 minutes with us is all it will take to free your mind and work your body.” After all that spinning, you need only walk a few steps to Juice Generation where many of the refreshments are local farmer-friendly, organic, and vegan. With your Watermelon Lemon Drop juice in hand, it’s less than two blocks to the 72nd Street entrance to Central Park and that means: Strawberry Fields. Stretching from 71st to 74th streets, this 2.5-acre tear-drop-shaped parcel of park surrounds the famous Imagine mosaic (donated by the city of Naples). After you meditate and rejuvenate, be sure to check out the bronze plaque listing the 121 countries endorsing Strawberry Fields as a Garden of Peace.

Pure Food and Wine? Purely Delightful

In the increasingly hopping area around Union Square is Pure Food and Wine, a restaurant with bar and spacious courtyard patio that offers a lovely evening, and an excellent start on the next day. The menu offers raw food, that is: nothing is cooked beyond 118 degrees to preserve the enzymes in the ingredients. What’s raw is organic and seasonal fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Aside from being vegetarian and vegan, raw foods also omits wheat, dairy, soy, and refined sugars.

You may not recognize any of the entrees on the menu, nor the tastes on your plate, but you will enjoy the meal, the setting, the organic wines, and a particularly energetic tomorrow.

54 Irving Place
212.477.1010

purefoodandwine@gmail.com

For more restaurant recommendations, where you’ll eat as well as the food is good for you (and the planet!) visit MyUrbanSherpa.net - and MyUrbanSherpa.mobi.